PEOPLE

The illustrated postcard shows a flying ‘Bleriot’ monoplane over a bushland scene as well the faces of two men, Wizard Stone, Aviator and P.V. Ryan, Organizer and Manager. The message reads ‘Goulburn , May 22^nd 1914 hope "Wizard" Stone succeeds in delivering this card. It is addressed to Sydney and is postmarked on arrival by train (Figure 1).

BENJAMIN KANE, INSPECTOR of NATIONAL SCHOOLS, MELBOURNE (1834-72)

This stampless entire was addressed to Benjamin Kane Esquire, Acting Inspector of National School Board, Melbourne on 28 April 1853. It was sent from Lake Colac, as shown by the framed red ‘PAID/ LAKE COLAC’, and was rated by a manuscript red ‘2' (2d being the inland letter rate)as well as the manuscript ‘Free’. The reverse (not shown) had back-stamps of Colac and Melbourne (Figure 1).

CHARLES MEREDITH (1811-1880) & LOUISA ANN MEREDITH (1812-1895)

This cover was found in Freeman & White’s The Numeral Cancellations of Victoria (2001) where it served as an example of a Victorian Barred Numeral. It shows the 2d and 4d Laureates of Victoria cancelled by a duplex of TALBOT/ JN 25/ 72/ VICTORIA with the B.N. 244. The letter is addressed to The Hon^ble Charles Meredith, Malunnah, Orford, Tasmania and there is a manuscript ‘27' in crayon (Figure 1).

HAIRENIK, AMERICAN NEWSPAPER, BOSTON COVER from MELBOURNE

HENRY CONDELL (1797 -1871): FIRST MAYOR of MELBOURNE

This cover was offered by a major Australian auction house with an estimate of AUD 400 and it sold for AUD 300. It had been owned by a gold medal exhibitor and judge, and his description of the 'outer', used in the catalogue, left much to be desired. It stated:

HIS MAJESTY BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ, KING of THAILAND

This cover was sent from Victoria by air mail with a the 65 cents yellow faced whip snake (issued in 1982) to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand, The Grand Palace, Na Phia Lan Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand, and the reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

IRVING P. FOX of BOSTON Mass

An Uncommon Use of a Strip of Five KGV Redheads:

JAMES DENHAM PINNOCK, PUBLIC SERVANT & BANKER (1810? - 1875)

Three entires were found addressed to James Denham Pinnock over a period of 1847-1851, in his capacity as a public servant serving in two different roles in Melbourne. The first dated was addressed to him as the Deputy Registrar General, Supreme Court, Melbourne, Port Philip (sic) in July 1847. The front had a black rectangular boxed ‘JERRRYS PLAINS/ FREE’ and the ‘FREE’ was black-inked out with a wavy line and a rating of ‘1/7' (a red one shilling seven pence) was added (Figure 1).

JAMES FRANCIS HOGAN, TEACHER, JOURNALIST & IRISH POLITICIAN

Three covers sent to the above were found on eBay on the same day and in dated order they were as follows: The first cover was postmarked with a duplex GEELONG/ 3H/ JA 31/ 72 with a BN ‘2' obliterator on the 2d lilac Victoria stamp, as well as an unframed reception postmark of ANAKIE/ JA 31/ 72/ VICTORIA (the same day delivery is not surprising as the 2 towns are only 25 km apart). The cover is addressed to Mr. James F. Hogan, School 21, Anakies, the sender has written ‘Immediate’ at the upper border, and there were no markings on the reverse (Figure 1).

JOHN SEPTIMUS ROE (1797-1878), W.A. SURVEYOR GENERAL & EXPLORER

This 5 Oct 1850 stampless entire inwards letter from India, has a framed Calcutta datestamp on the reverse and is addressed to J.S. Roe Esqre R.N., Surveyor General, Swan River Settlement. It has a manuscript per Lady Margaret -via Adelaide plus a mss. '8'. On the right, there is a vertically written 'Calcutta. 5 October 1850. W. Bubly/Recd. 25 Oct 1851 p. "Unknown" via S Australia. The provenance of the item was Ex Juhl (Figure 1).

JOHN DRUMMOND, DISGRACED NAVAL OFFICER, HOBART TOWN, V.D.L.

An inwards piece of mail was addressed to John Drummond Esq, Naval Officer, Hobart Town, Van Diemen’s Land. There was a red PAID SHIP LETTER/ [Crown]/ 7 MR 7/ 1818/ LONDON postmark, as well as a manuscript ‘1/9' in red paying the single rate to N.S.W. The entire’s letter was headed ‘Enfield Highway 5^th 1818'. The vendor stated that it was the second earliest inwards mail to Tasmania, and an estimate of AUD 10,000 was placed on it (Figure 1).

JOSIAH WIGGLESWORTH, WOOLSTAPLER, HALIFAX YORKSHIRE

The cover was addressed to Josiah Wigglesworth Esq., Woolstapler, Near Railway Station, Halifax Yorkshire, England, and there were two other manuscripts: Via Australasian and ‘Paid’. The imperforate orange-yellow 6d ‘wood block’ Victoria stamp had an indistinct barred numeral ‘1' of Melbourne (Figure 1).

LEE BURRIDGE (1861-1915)

MODERN TIMES VILLAGE, THOMPSON’S STATION RAILROAD, LONG ISLAND

This cover was mailed from Melbourne on July 15, 1858 franked with two copies of the orange 6d imperforate ‘Woodblock’ stamps as well as a single lilac 2d ‘Emblems’ stamp of Victoria cancelled with the barred numeral ‘1' of Melbourne. There was a red manuscript rating of ‘8' and an obliquely placed manuscript ‘via Great Britain/ per Emeu/ Mail Steamer’ as well as a red handstamp LONDON/ 88/ SP 10/ 58/ PAID. In addition there was a large black handstamp of 5/ SP/ 24/ BOSTON BR. PK^T . The cover was addressed to Miss Annie Newbery, Modern Times village, Thompsons Station Railroad, Long Island, New York, U Stat, written in a copperplate style (Figure 1).

PETER NICHOLAS BROUN, FIRST W. A. COLONIAL SECRETARY

Two Western Australia Colonial Secretary stampless entires were found on auction sites, both with franking interest and sent to the same incumbent, but one was superior to the other in that both the sender and the receiver were of considerable interest. The first was addressed to The Honble The Colonial Secretary, Perth with a red manuscript 'Free' and a black undated 'Crown' over a 28 x 18 mm hexagon-shaped boxed 'GENERAL/ POST OFFICE/ PERTH' frank (Figure 1).

RICHARD G. MEARES & REVETT H. BLAND,

ROBERT BROUGH SMYTH, SECRETARY OF MINES, MELBOURNE

This folded blue entire was addressed to the above, the postage being paid by a 4d rose pink Victoria ‘Beaded Oval’ stamp postmarked with the barred numeral ‘173' (Type 1B) of Daylesford and there was a blue boxed ‘TOO LATE’ alongside (Figure 1).

S. BENJAMIN, TEMPLE HOUSE, HOBART TASMANIA

Yet another two covers destined for Tattersalls came up on Ebay auctions, both addressed to S. Benjamin Esq. at Temple House, Hobart. Both showed the presence of a filing hole and one showed the tell-tale lilac label, usually applied by Tattersalls on receipt. The first showed two 2d Victoria stamps cancelled by two barred numerals ‘836' of Whitfield, Victoria with an additional framed WHITFIELD/ OC 20/ 05/ VICTORIA, and there was a transit mark of Ballarat on the reverse, not shown (Figure 1).

SIR CHARLES TODD, POSTMASTER-GENERAL & SUPERINTENDENT of TELEGRAPHS, ADELAIDE

This Post Office memo is somewhat peripheral to the majority of the items on this website, but it is of particular interest not only because of its contents, but also because of the person issuing the directive. It was sent from Charles Todd to all South Australian Postmasters, and it reads (Figure 1):

SUN WAH LOONG, STOREKEEPER: THE CHINESE in QUEENSLAND

Once again, mail to Tattersalls in Hobart (via one of the many forwarding agents, the Commercial Bank) reveals an interesting story. The registered cover has a strip of three blue 2d ‘Figures in four corners’ Queensland stamps as well as the same design single orange vermilion 1d stamp. There are four strikes of the barred numeral ‘534', as well as a single strike of the unframed CLONCURRY/ NO 3/ 05/ QUEENSLAND postmark and the two line REGISTERED/ CLONCURRY (Figure 1).

VERNON EDWARD WHITE, QUEENSLAND SURVEYOR (1894-1967)

This registered cover looks as if it might be philatelically inspired (on account of its neatness and by the use of 6 Australian stamps of 4 different colours), but a total cost of 1/ 8½d would seem to be an unnecessary price to pay for a non-First Day Cover of the three 150th Anniversary of Newcastle stamps, which were issued on 8 Sep 1947. The cover is postmarked RABAUL/ 13 OC 47/ PAPUA NEW GUINEA and it has a red RABAUL registration label attached. The sender is identified as F.R. Davis, P.C.B, Rabaul, New Britain and it is addressed to Vernon E. White M.Q.I.S., Gympie, Queensland (Figure 1).

WHO WAS JOHN MOFFAT of IRVINEBANK?

I am no fan of philatelically inspired covers, having outgrown the habit some 40 years ago, but I had no reservations about buying this Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (Queensland) cover. It celebrated the life of John Moffat by unveiling a plaque of him at Irvinebank some 32 years after his death. The unveiling occurred on May 24, 1950, the same day of the IRVINEBANK/ 9-A 24MY50/ QUEENSLAND postmark His later life photograph adorns the cover, and there is a cuteness about the printed “The children ended their prayers each night with “God Bless John Moffat”. The pristine condition of the cover plus the fact that the postage stamps only amounted to 1½d suggest that it was sent in a separate cover (Figure 1).

WILLIAM HENRY GRAY, ONE of SOUTH AUSTRALIA'S CHIEF CONSTABLES

This philatelically contrived cover is different from the vast majority of such covers in that it celebrates the centenary of the landing in South Australia of an ancestor of the sender, the addressee on the cover. The cover has the 1d green KGV sideface Australian stamp cancelled by the roller cancel, ADELAIDE/ 11 AM/ 10 FEB/ 1937/ S.A. In addition, a photograph of W.H. Gray is adhered to the cover, and underneath the following is typed: To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landing in South Australia of William Henry Gray in the ship ‘John Renwick’. Feb. 10 th 1837 - Feb. 10 th 1937 (Figure 1).

WILLIAM NAIRN GRAY, ILLAWARRA N.S.W. POLICE MAGISTRATE & LAND COMMISSIONER

This 1850 Victorian cover has an 1850 2d ‘Half Length’ stamp cancelled by the ‘butterfly 14/V’ of Ovens and it is addressed to W^m Gray Nairn, Geelong. There is nothing to suggest the name of the sender. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).